


Hook, Lure, and Sinker

by after_midnightmunchies



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Lance Almost Drowns, M/M, Slight mentions of torture, Zarkon Honerva and Alfor are biologists, aquarium intern Lance, merman hunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 05:32:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14909285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/after_midnightmunchies/pseuds/after_midnightmunchies
Summary: Lance feels honored to receive an internship at the prestigious and secretive Shorebrook Aquarium, but not everything is as it seems. He doesn't know it yet, but the aquarium's latest exhibit is about to change his life forever.





	Hook, Lure, and Sinker

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the EnHanced Zine.
> 
> Please heed the tags before reading! There's nothing graphic, but just be aware that these themes are present. Regardless, I hope you enjoy!! <3

Shorebrook Aquarium – the beacon of its namesake college town, and a true honor for any aspiring marine biologist to pick up an internship from. The pool of candidates was vast, with very few selections made each year. Many students graduated without the ability to add the prestigious position onto their resumes, but the lucky few who could were met with high regard.

Everything about the intern positions themselves was kept tight-lipped. Upon entering and leaving the program, interns were made to sign a confidentiality agreement, vowing to never speak of certain aspects of their experience. It made no sense that the program carried so much weight in their field with all of its secrecy, but the fact remained that it did.

The aquarium itself boasted an incredibly diverse cast of creatures, from shrimp to orcas and heron to penguins. Lately, flyers and ads teased a new exhibit that would soon open, promising a breakthrough in the field of marine biology unlike any the world had seen before!

Needless to say, custodial work hadn’t been on the list of things that Lance expected his internship to entail.

Then again… he hadn’t accounted for crossing paths with a siren, either.

 

* * *

 

“And remember to replace the lock when you’re finished!” his supervisor called before the door slid shut behind her. The echo bounced off the walls of the unfinished exhibit hauntingly, causing an involuntary shiver to crawl up Lance’s spine.

The grand room was eerily quiet, uncharacteristic of a facility that should be teeming with life at every corner. He couldn’t even hear the calls of the sea lions in the exhibit right next door.

_I wonder why they’re keeping this one so secluded… No creature should crave solitude to this extent._

It was also rather strange how quick his supervisor was to leave him, not even setting foot beyond the steel doors that concealed the unfinished exhibit. Come to think of it, he only ever saw the aquarium’s curator and lead biologist ever pass through the doors, and they were always ushered directly to an examination room and heavily guarded during transit.

_So why was he here alone after closing?_

Taking carefully measured steps, Lance crept along the smooth tiles, wincing at every groan of the old supply cart and squeak his non-slip shoes made. _Honestly, if the floor was already this clean and the exhibit wasn’t set to open for another two months, why was he needed in here?_

He sighed, knowing that there’d be no use in fighting his superiors on the subject either way. For all he knew, this was his punishment for last week’s chum incident; it was a wonder that he hadn’t been immediately axed after tripping on one of the catwalks and covering a whole group of elementary students in two buckets of raw fish guts.

After what felt like an eternity thanks to the silence, he finally crossed to one corner of the vast atrium. Lance locked his cart into place and surveyed the area. There was a large open pool toward the center of the future exhibit, and the lights surrounding it had been darkened. The pool itself had to be the size of a baseball field, at _least!_ A large structure rose out of it through the shadows, reminiscent of the towers of ice that the polar bears had in their exhibit. His vantage point prevented him from seeing its inhabitant, but whatever it was must’ve required ample space in addition to solitude.

His imagination ran wild with what it could be… _perhaps a creature recovered from leagues under the sea? Or an incredibly violent orca? A legendary giant squid? Cthulhu himself?_

His musings were disrupted by a foreign sound, something akin to a dolphin’s whistle, but not quite as gleeful. The animal chirped again in quick succession, each in a register different to the last, almost as if it was testing its vocal range. The sounds echoed off of the walls persistently, like a garbled song desperately trying to put itself together.

Lance could say with the utmost confidence that in all of his studies and experiences at the aquarium, he’d _never_ heard a creature sound like that before. Setting his mop aside, he listened as the trills continued in a similar manner, though the specimen gradually drew the sounds out longer like it knew it had an audience.

Suddenly, the notes began to slot themselves into a clear tune. The melody was gloriously hypnotic, and Lance easily found himself reeled in. His feet began to shuffle across the tile of their own accord, eagerly seeking the source of the beautiful song.

A shade came into view as he approached, gliding easily through the waters and seemingly paying Lance no mind. The alarm bells that urged him to turn back fell silent under the sounds that continued to serenade him.

His hands gripped the edge of the pool, eyes unfocused as he leaned closer to the calm waters. The song beckoned him closer, its vocalist still out of sight. Not thinking twice, he began to hoist himself up onto the ledge, enraptured by the melody and desperate to find its source.

The brunet toed his shoes off unconsciously before swivelling around to dangle over the dark pool. He barely registered the dampening of his socks as his feet met the water, legs following until he was practically submerged. Still, he was called deeper, mind fixated more on the desire that the song filled him with than the need for oxygen.

Lance was gone. His eyes slipped closed as he released the railing, sinking into the depths of the pool. He couldn’t hear the song anymore, but that didn’t matter. He felt safe and warm, muscles completely relaxed and mind wholly submitted. He was numb to the burn in his lungs, slowly exhaling the last of his oxygen.

His eyelids lazily opened, and he swore he saw an angel swim toward him, face anguished and hand outstretched. Its mouth opened and a new melody poured out, Lance’s body jerking forward until he was wrapped snugly in its arms.

They broke the surface with inhuman speed, Lance involuntarily hacking up water as his lungs flooded with air. His entire body shook as he was set onto a solid surface and rolled onto his side. Too weak to even curl up, he laid prone, allowing himself to be tugged further from the waters that continued to lap innocently against his legs.

His vision was still spotted and everything ached, but the image of the angel that he’d seen underwater didn’t falter. As his eyes began to focus and his mind cleared, he realized that it wasn’t the face of an apparition that he was staring into but that of a man. _A very beautiful man._

Ebony hair sat in neat waves atop his head, despite the water still dripping from its ends. Round cheeks the color of cocoa almost glowed in the low light, freckles reminiscent of gold framing bright irises that glittered worriedly at him. They were a captivating amber, and Lance found himself drawn in again. His lips were lush and plump, a natural trait that many female celebrities would kill to have been blessed with. They parted slightly as the man leaned in closer, a low trill flowing past them.

The sound was startlingly similar to that of a dolphin fretting over another’s wellbeing. Lance wanted to compliment the stranger’s spot-on impression, but his mouth was too dry for words, ironic considering how soaked the rest of his body remained.

He still couldn’t move his limbs, but his extremities tingled as feeling slowly returned. His lungs no longer burned, water finally expelled and oxygen steadily consumed. He felt the stranger’s eyes observe him critically, another sound of distress slipping from his lips.

A hand brushed the hair slicked across his forehead carefully. It felt heavily calloused, and Lance wondered idly just who he was sharing his company with. He couldn’t recall hearing anyone enter the atrium… then again, he couldn’t remember anything that had happened since he towed his custodial cart in…

_Why was he wet? Where was he exactly? And who was seated beside him? Why wasn’t he speaking and why was he so damn beautiful?_

He flexed his fingers experimentally, wincing at the effort it took just to wiggle his pinky. He couldn’t remember why his body wouldn’t respond, or why his mouth felt so dry, but it was incredibly inconvenient.

His companion seemed to sense his anguish, crooning a gentle melody that instantly soothed his turmoil. He felt comforted, like a warm blanket had been wrapped around him. Slowly, his body began to respond, mobility restored to his limbs. With a small grunt, he rolled onto his side, bracing a hand against the damp sand that he’d been sprawled across.

_Sand?_

His fingers raked through the loose granules as he became aware of the water lapping at his ankles. He glanced down at himself, taking stock of the sodden state of his uniform and his lack of shoes. He felt like the aftermath of one of Lotor’s wild parties.

“Wha…” He tested his voice, wincing at how weak and hoarse it sounded. His throat didn’t feel sore or swollen like it would’ve had he been screaming or even ill. He wet his lips and coughed before trying again, a bit stronger this time, “What happened? Where am I?”

He shifted onto his hands and knees, finally able to take in his surroundings. It was still as dark as he was able to recall, but he could make out what looked like a makeshift beach stretched out before him. Water caressed the slim shoreline in lazy waves, a line of foliage bordering the sands just a few yards away. To his left loomed a large cavern, its lip protected by jagged stalagmites.

His supposed companion was nowhere in sight. Forcing himself up into a seated position, he scanned the dark waters hopefully. He needed answers.

“I know you’re there! Come out and talk to me!”

He waited patiently, but there was no movement from anywhere around him. He almost dismissed the man as an actual angel, but his ears picked up a small splash just to his right. Golden eyes glowed at him from just above the surface of the water, the stranger’s head cocked curiously at him.

Lance’s lips stretched into a grin. “Gracias a Dios, I’m not crazy!” He beckoned the man closer, eager to meet the gorgeous being of his dreams. “I was afraid I’d made you up. I mean, I know that I fantasize about attractive people a lot, but you’re almost too amazing to be real!”

The man swam fluidly as Lance continued to ramble, water churning almost invisibly around him. He faltered at the shoreline though, remaining a few feet away. His expression was cautious despite the warmth and hope radiating from his eyes.

Lance finally took notice of the man’s hesitance, raising a brow at him. “Uh… I won’t bite, you know.”

The man remained fixed in place, but Lance was resolved to get some answers. Bracing his hands against the loose terrain, he pushed himself shakily onto his legs, groaning from the discomfort that accompanied the action.

A sound of disapproval met his ears as he strained to get to his feet. It was followed by a forceful melody that sent him sprawling back onto the sand involuntarily. As his head met the ground, he realized with a start not who, but _what_ he was dealing with.

He waited for the creature’s trills to subside before carefully sitting back up and facing him. He remained in place, though his eyes looked elsewhere the moment Lance glared accusingly at him. “You’re a siren.”

Suddenly everything made sense: the earplugs he’d see the curator and biologists dispose of whenever they exited the exhibit... the tight restrictions on who was even allowed in... the fact that he was still soaking wet…

“Did you… did you try to drown me?” he asked with wide eyes, scooting away from the water anxiously. The realization brought a sour taste to his tongue.

The creature’s handsome face fell into a guilty pout, but he shook his head adamantly. “No.”

The softly spoken word took Lance by surprise. “So you can speak?”

“Little bit,” he whispered in his velvety voice. “Learning.”

Anger dissipating, Lance regarded the siren with a look of intrigue. “From who? The people that come in here?”

His expression turned sour at the mention of the biologists, but he nodded. “Not nice.”

Lance raised a brow at that. He wanted to ask more, but the creature already seemed agitated enough. Rather than press, he returned to the subject at hand. “Why did you use your voice on me?”

“Did not think it would work.”

That was not the answer he’d expected… but then, he didn’t really know what _to_ expect. “What do you mean?”

“Doesn’t work on others,” he shrugged, biting his lip and dragging a clawed finger across the surface of the water in front of him. “Like to sing. Did not mean to drown. Pulled out of water.”

Lance’s eyes widened as the image of the angel in the water flashed across his eyes. He hadn’t imagined _any_ of it! The siren had realized his mistake and rescued him before it was too late.

He smiled as the creature’s amber eyes finally met his again. He had inched closer, Lance now able to see his golden tail flicking anxiously beneath the waters. He stretched a hand out in offering. “I’m Lance. Do you have a name?”

The siren furrowed his brows at that, assessing Lance’s hand distrustingly. “Name?”

Had the biologists never asked him that? Lance found that difficult to believe, but from the siren’s earlier reaction, perhaps they weren’t as civil toward him as he was.

“Yeah, a name. People call me Lance. What should I call you?”

The creature cocked his head at him with a small smile. His eyes practically sparkled at him hopefully. “Give me a name.”

Lance lowered his hand and brought it to his chin thoughtfully. Although he’d probably be the only one to use it, giving a name, even a nickname, was a big responsibility. He’d have to consider all of his options carefully…

“Hunk!” he suddenly declared, startling a small whistle out of his companion. “I’ll call you Hunk!”

The siren’s grin widened, two rows of bright white fangs glinting innocently at him. “I like it! What does it mean?”

“Uhh, names don’t always have to mean something,” Lance chuckled, “but a hunk is someone that people think is really attractive. Like, good-looking.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as the siren’s cheeks tinted rouge.

“Oh…” Hunk scooted closer, until he was practically seated on the shore with his tail curled around him. Lance could feel his eyes rake over him curiously and wondered if he was the first human he’d ever gotten this close to.

Now that more than just his head was exposed, Lance let his eyes study the rest of the siren appraisingly. Three small slits flexed along the length of his throat as he inhaled and exhaled. His torso was thick and muscular, mocha flesh bleeding into bright golden scales at his hips that would certainly be blinding in the sun’s light. His tail had to be twice the length of his torso, the fin at its tip the length of his arm. More golden freckles dotted his shoulders and upper arms, and a smaller gold dorsal fin extended from the center of his spine. The skin on his forearms also gave way to scaled talons that matched the color of his tail.

“You are a hunk, too,” the siren concluded after a moment of silence. His lips were stretched into another bright smile that had Lance’s heart skipping a beat.

Lance spluttered for an intelligent response, cheeks warm. “Th-Thank you,” he finally managed.

Hunk hummed before suddenly snapping his head in the direction of the atrium’s entrance. A moment later, Lance heard the echoing groan of the steel doors.

“Must hide,” he murmured mournfully, giving Lance an apologetic look.

Lance nodded. He didn’t understand why, but he wouldn’t stop him.

“Promise come back,” the siren urged, slipping deeper into the waters. Footsteps and calls of “McClain!” steadily got louder as the intruders came closer. Hunk’s eyes widened fearfully as he pressed the brunet for an answer. “Don’t disappear.”

_Disappear?_ Lance swallowed thickly, nodding again. “I-I won’t disappear. I promise I’ll come see you again!”

Hunk didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he was pacified. His head dipped back into the water, tail propelling him in the direction of the cavern as Lance was bathed in artificial light.

 

* * *

 

They were surprised to find him alive. Lance wasn’t sure whether to be offended that they’d presumably sent him to his death or relieved that he wasn’t immediately fired. He’d been carried off to the examination room, legs still weak from the effects of Hunk’s song, then immediately tossed into a small conference room on one of the upper floors to stew in silence.

The lead biologists and aquarium curator greeted him after God knew how long, debriefing him on every detail that they’d gathered on Hunk and demanding to know how he’d gotten into the pool with him and managed to survive. Something told him to refrain from divulging the details of his conversation with the siren, though he couldn’t hide that he’d been under the influence of Hunk’s song.

“Fascinating!” Dr. Honvera noted, scribbling notes into her journal. “How many different notes do you think he sang to you?”

“Did he hypnotize you with his stare?” Dr. Alfor added.

“Was it capable of speech?” Zarkon pressed.

It became increasingly clear that for all of their efforts, the biologists had not been very successful in dissecting many of the siren’s more prominent qualities. He asked as innocently as possible whether or not they’d ever heard him speak.

“We thought it was mute, actually.”

Suddenly, Lance found himself promoted from custodian to siren-caretaker.

 

* * *

 

The aquarium’s secrecy had to be based on finding ways around the ethics that would no doubt come into question the moment the exhibit opened. Hunk certainly didn’t seem to be comfortable or consenting to any of this.

That was where Lance came in. As their tests got more rigorous, the brunet would be sent in afterward to calm the siren and keep him company. Hunk refused to cooperate with anyone else, something that made the intern’s heart swell with pride and fondness.

Lance walked in as the biologists exited, all exchanging courteous nods. The moment the door closed behind him, he sprinted across the hall to the pool’s edge. Over the past two months, the exhibit had grown to include interactive displays and diagrams based on new things discovered about Hunk. The echo gradually faded, and Lance realized that it was only a matter of time before it was revealed to the public.

“Hey big guy!” he greeted, shaking the apprehension off as the siren swam up to greet him. He’d never get tired of that charming grin or bright-eyed glee.

“Lance!”

The intern quickly stripped out of his uniform and unrolled the trunks he’d made a habit of wearing tucked under his pants. Setting his bag safely out of the splash zone and grabbing a towel for later, he climbed into the pool. A laugh bubbled out of him when a pair of arms wrapped around him joyously, the siren’s sleek tail curling around his legs.

“I missed you!” Hunk complained, petting his hair affectionately.

“I missed you, too,” Lance beamed, fingers raking over Hunk’s shoulders contently. His brows furrowed when he brushed over a patch of raised skin. “What’s this?”

Hunk released him to look over his shoulder, wincing when he caught sight of what Lance was referring to — a nasty burn that was still scabbing over. “The biologists got a little… creative today. They wanted to test my self-healing capabilities.”

Lance ground his teeth, nails digging into the palms of his hands. This wasn’t the first time that they’d gotten carried away, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last if he didn’t get Hunk out of there _now._

He felt a rough hand stroke his back in small circles, Hunk humming a soothing tune that made him relax. “Stop worrying so much. I’m okay.”

“But for how much longer?” Lance shot back. “Some day they’ll take it too far!”

“As long as I get to see you, it’s worth it,” the siren assured, taking Lance’s hands into his own and towing him toward the shore of their little beach. “I know you want to take me somewhere else, but you wouldn’t be there.”

He understood what Hunk meant. If he was caught trying to break him out, they’d never see each other again. But even if he managed to get him away cleanly, it was too risky for them to meet outside of the aquarium’s protective walls.

_Still…_ His eyes raked over the burn again, now completely scabbed over and healing. The moment they saw how quickly it had healed, he _knew_ they’d take their torture up a notch.

“I’m not going to let you continue to suffer like this,” he declared resolutely. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Hunk’s tenderly. “I’ll find a way. Promise.”

A sadness lingered in Hunk’s eyes, but he managed a small smile. “I’m sure you will. But for now, I want you to teach me more Spanish!”

Lance chuckled, sitting back onto the beach and helping Hunk slide up the sand so he could lay beside him. “I don’t even remember where we left off last time… What do you want to learn next?”

Hunk made a big show of considering his options before offering the most angelic look he could muster. “How do you say ‘Kiss me?’”

Lance choked, coughing as Hunk worriedly patted his back. “Wh-Why would you want to learn that?”

“You never know when the opportunity might rise.” The siren shrugged his shoulders casually, but his eyes were mischievous. “Besides, you’re the one who taught me what a kiss was in the first place.”

A wheeze rattled the brunet’s chest. “I wouldn’t have taught it to you if you were gonna be such a little shit about it,” he teased back, but they both knew he was lying through his teeth.

Hunk’s hand clasped his as he pouted up at him. “Por favor? I want to learn it in your language.”

“You already know my language.”

“Your _native_ language,” he corrected with a roll of his eyes.

“Bésame,” Lance finally whispered, eyes falling to Hunk’s plush lips.

“Besamé,” Hunk repeated, emphasizing the wrong syllable. Lance knew he was doing it purposefully — he’d picked up English so easily that the brunet was jealous.

“Bésame,” he restated anyway, indulging the siren in his games.

“Besáme,” his student mimicked. When Lance rolled his eyes and shook his head, he tapped a claw against his lips thoughtfully. “Maybe if you relate it to the definition I’ll get it.”

Lance leaned in compliantly, if only to wipe the smirk off of the conniving siren’s lips. He tasted of saline and a natural sweetness that Lance couldn’t quite attribute to anything but Hunk.

“Ohhhh, bésame,” Hunk chuckled the moment their lips parted.

Lance only snorted and tugged him into another kiss. They remained sprawled across the shoreline, Lance curled up against Hunk’s side.

He knew he had his work cut out for him if he was going to get Hunk out before the end of his internship. Their window was closing, and Lance had already been warned that he couldn’t get too comfortable. There was no guarantee that he’d be kept on, whether Hunk fussed about it or not.

For now, though, he was content to lie in the siren’s arms and enjoy the gentle voice and sweet touches reserved exclusively for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Come scream at me on [Tumblr](https://after-midnightmunchies.tumblr.com)!


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